1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to hair styling devices, and especially to hair styling devices for use in scrunching and "natural" styling of hair, and for performing a wide variety of other functions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many, if not most hair stylists and consumers of hair styling products prefer to hold, form, separate, and style hair in a "natural," "permanent" or scrunched mode while it is being dried by a hand-held blow dryer.
Heretofore a wide variety of hair styling devices have been proposed and implemented for styling hair.
One such hair styling device consisted of a hair net stretched over a frame and a cylindrical handle that is gripped with one hand. Users regarded this type of hair styling device as unsatisfactory for hair styling especially for modern hair styles because its use was limited to holding pre-set hair in place while hair spray or other treatment was applied to the hair. Users found this type of styling device incapable of holding, forming, and separating the hair into waves or curls which current fashion demands. In essence, users found this type of hair styling device unsatisfactory because it is unusable for the demanding applications required of a modern hair styling device.
Another type of hair styling device comprised a hair dryer insert functioning as a fluid diffusion hood where users inserted it into the hood of a hair dryer so that the heated air emanating from the dryer did not disrupt the hairdo. However, this type of styling device was limited in its styling applications because it could not hold or style the hair, nor was it capable of scrunching the hair as current fashion demands. This type of diffusion hood simply diffused the flow of heat from the dryer. It was not capable of holding, forming, and separating the hair into waves or curls either in the "natural," or "permanent" styles.
With the "natural," "permanent," and scrunched hair styles in fashion today, it is necessary to employ heat lamps or dryers in conjunction or combination with hair rollers, pins, clips and the like, in order to form and separate the hair into the waves and curls characteristic of these styles.
Portable hair dryers have been in existence for many years. Traditionally, they have included bonnets made of fabric or other sheet material. The bonnet is fitted over the head and means are provided for introducing a supply of heated air to and through the interior of the bonnet so as to pick up moisture from and dry the hair.
Another, more recent form of instrument has come into use. Rather than having a bonnet, this device is designed to be used for localized, or "spot" drying. This is a hand-held unit and is ordinarily employed in conjunction with styling the hair. The hand-held units of this type produce a small stream of heated air and are not ordinarily used for drying the entire hair mass. However, the task of holding, forming, and separating the hair into a desired form must be accomplished with the aid of hair rollers, pins, clips, or squeezing and pinching the hair into place, commonly referred to as scrunching.
Most users, therefore, would find it desirable to have a hair styling tool which could hold and facilitate the formation of waves and curls in the hair at the same time that the hair is being dried by a hand-held dryer without the concomitant need for hair rollers, pins, clips, or the squeezing and pinching of the hair known as scrunching widely used by hair stylists today.